On Aug. 23, Travis Scott re-released his second mixtape titled “Days Before Rodeo” to streaming platforms Apple Music and Spotify, celebrating the 10-year anniversary of its original independent release. How do OH students feel about the re-release of Scott’s 10-year-old record? The reviews are mixed.
“It’s cool, but it messes up the rarity of the bootleg vinyl and MP3 downloads,” said OH senior Malcolm Young, who has collected vinyl for five years.
Do people who collect rare albums like “Days Before Rodeo” feel the mixtapes released on big platforms affect the value of the vinyl?
Young added, “I feel like they should keep doing it for the fans and others to listen to their old unknown music.”
These types of album releases make for a good opportunity for artists’ lesser-known projects to gain new exposure and possibly create new fans while also being a treat for fans of the old music.
This album is impactful because of its raw and lo-fi sound. “It sounds super low budget, which I like,” Young said about the overall vibe of the mixtape.
This aspect of an artist’s music is an important part of gaining a fanbase because their songs are bursting with authenticity, Scott’s is shown in songs like “Zombies” and “Mamacita (featuring Rich Homie Quan & Young Thug.”
Robert Virgo, an OH senior who is a big fan of Travis Scott’s music, has been listening to Scott’s creations “probably like [since] middle school,” he said.
According to Virgo, the best song from the album is “Skyfall (featuring Young Thug).” He added that this album ranks as one of the top three in Scott’s discography.
Would Virgo recommend this mixtape to friends? “Oh, most definitely,” he said, giving the album a rating of “a good … eight and a half” out of 10.
OH senior, Henry Paustenbach has been a general fan of hip-hop for “about four years now” and “started getting into it during Covid,” but is relatively new to Scott’s work.
Paustebach has heard of this album but has never listened to it, yet knew that this 10-year re-release is to “commemorate the album and its influence on the community.” This knowledge speaks to the popularity of Scott’s music, even to the casual listener.
The most popular song from this album is “[sic] You Should Try It” with 1.4 million page views. Paustenbach gave the song a listen and stated an honest rating. “I’m going to give it a 7.7 out of 10, I really enjoyed it. If you’re a fan of Travis Scott, you’ll really like this song.”
After hearing the opinions of students here at OH, it is safe to say that “Days Before Rodeo” could become a classic that stands the test of time.
Hi, it's my first year on the 42Fifty staff. I am a senior at Oswego High School and I play football for the Oswego Panthers. You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and putting my name in the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feedback on our publication!
